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Count Your Blessings, Christmas Comes Early and a Special Delivery #LittleLoves

I’ve got a spare hour and what better way to spend it, than reflecting on my week and pulling out the positives?

I’ve been suffering from muscle spasms in my neck and shoulders this week. Whilst it’s not the end of the world, it has been a tad debilitating and I’ve spent a little bit of time feeling sorry for myself. BUT (there’s always a but) my lovely friend popped by with a beautiful scented candle and a heat patch for my neck on Wednesday morning, and on Monday I got to watch four back to back episodes of Gilmore Girls instead of going to work. You see, there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for!

What else has happened in my world? On to this week’s Little Loves.

Read

I’ve finished my book. Huzzah! If you’ve not read ‘Try Not to Breathe’ by Holly Seddon then I would thoroughly recommend it. I read a few pages each night to prolong the ending and it didn’t disappoint, although I did see it coming about three quarters of the way through the book.

I am really pleased to be joining in with an online book group in the new year. If you think this might be something that you would like then you can read more about #bookclub140 here. You don’t have to be a blogger but being on Twitter is helpful – there will be an hour’s chat around our thoughts on the book during that month.

Something I did read and absolutely LOVED, is Katie from Hurrah for Gin’s post ‘Advent Uncut‘ (the above picture is a little taster). If like me, you want to throttle that elf to death every time you see him on social media, or you question why you bought chocolate advent calendars this year instead of sticking with the traditional nativity scene, then you’ll enjoy it too. So wishing that teenagers could still be bribed with the old ‘Father Christmas won’t come if….’ chestnut *sigh*.

Watched

What do you think of the John Lewis Christmas advert? I have to say that it’s not my favourite; I’m not sure that they could top Monty the Penguin from 2015. It’s funny how all of the British supermarkets go all out to beat one another at Christmas. My personal favourite this year is M&S with Mrs Claus.

But have you seen this one? It might not be British but it’s a serious tear-jerker. Considering all that’s happened this year with Brexit and the majority of our country seemingly wanting to isolate themselves from the rest of Europe, this is beautifully heart-warming and a great reminder that we need to keep the channels open. Go have a watch.

Heard

It’s been all about the Christmas songs this week (again). I’ve been listening to Hansome & Gretyl’s album ‘Wonder’ as well as Leona Lewis’ album ‘Christmas, with love’ – her take on all the old classics are amazing but I particularly love ‘Your Hallelujah’.

Wore

This week we christened our Christmas jumpers for the first time. My daughter absolutely adores her Rudolph hoodie complete with bells and who can blame her? At £16.00 from Tesco, it’s a very reasonable price too. Mine was slightly dearer from Fat Face but I love the subtle reference to Christmas and the colour red – the perfect colour for this time of year!

Even our little dog got in on the Christmas jumper action (this one is from Next at £8).

Made

After getting off to an amazing start with cakes, treacle tarts and Christmas wreaths, I’ve failed this week and haven’t really made anything. I have made my house Christmassy though, does that count? Although I can’t really take credit for that either because we went out on Saturday night and when we got home our three little elves had put the tree up and decorated it (my control freak tendencies had a field day with that one!).

And Lastly

One of my goals for this year was to fall in love with my home again. By that, I mean updating some of the decor, buying some new little bits and pieces to give it a face lift and spending time on giving it a good old clear out. I’m slowly getting onto that and in the new year, our aim is to turn what was once a ‘play room’ into a ‘snug’ (my kids hate that word but you know what I mean). Today we are having the chimney swept with a view to putting in a wood burner in January and earlier in the week, I took delivery of a new rug. I’ve been browsing sites and shops for months trying to find the perfect geometric/monochrome combination and I’m really pleased with this one. It also had 40% off it in the La Redoute sale so I call that a win!

19 Comments

I’m liking your cushion and rug combo! Apparently we need new cushions, but I hadn’t noticed! I lack the interior decorating gene, so that stuff is left to my husband.
I think I’ll give that book a miss – I’d feel let down if I’d worked out the ending that early on!
Our house is still a Christmas-free zone, apart from the advent calendars. I don’t think Christmas will even enter the house this weekend, but who knows?!

I love the opening picture of your post this week – frosty pictures are some of my favourite to admire.

The Christmas jumpers look great and so do the snippets of decorations you’ve shared. I totally understand what you mean about the decorations going up without you there; I probably would’ve had a meltdown!

It sounds like you’re making great steps with falling in love with your home again, and love the cushion and rug combo.

Muscle spasms are the worst, I’ve had a couple in my back and I was literally unable to move for days! Love how festive this post is, I need to get a bit more in the Christmas spirit, I’m not at all ready! x

Loved the Polish Christmas advert and not cooking something Christmasy this week isn’t a failure but just goes to show how busy you have been succeeding in other things. Loving your blog Suzanne, we’re off to Thailand for the Christmas and New Year holidays so all wrapped and sorted – she says smugly – but it is quite relaxing knowing we don’t need to get in a Christmas tizzy about it all. Maybe next year…..

I love the doggy Christmas jumper! I really like that Polish Christmas advert too. Just to let you know though, it’s not showing on your blog, I think it’s been removed from YT due to a copyright claim.
Nat.x

Ha ha I’m with you on the ‘Santa won’t come if…’ not working on teens. Mind you my 4 year old doesn’t seem very receptive to it either! I hadnn’t watched that christmas ad before, it’s lovely! I do love Leona Lewis, she dueted with Il Divo once on Simon Cowel’s ‘This is Your Life’ (I think) and it was absolutely amazing. That rug is gorgeous. I need a new one for our place, mind you I also need to give it a bit of a new look in the New Year, definitely need to fall back in love with it here too. Hope you’re having a good weekend x

Absolutely love that rug, it looks great! It seems like you’ve had a lot to love this week. Thank you for mentioning #BookClub140 – looking forward to having you participate. Loving the Christmas jumpers, think I definitely need to buy one! Enjoy your weekend xx

Sorry to hear you have been in pain Suzanne, but what a lovely thoughtful gift from your friend. I always think your house looks amazing, and loving all of the Christmas jumpers. Eek my inner control freak would also be twitching with the elves decorating the house lol x

I love your doggy Christmas jumper, I used to love choosing them for my two dogs but one hates wearing them and the other has bad skin now that she’s older and she can’t wear them! A sung sounds great, and I love the cushions xx

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Hey there, thanks for dropping by. I'm Suzanne and Inside, Outside & Beyond is my quest to find out if there is 'life after the school run'. With all three children now at secondary school, it's time to find me...the coffee-loving, shoe-obsessed (you can never have too many, right?) 40-something me, who loves a new challenge and is a little bit addicted to over-sharing. Join me?

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